Sarri losing in numbers game now

MAURIZIO SARRI seemed reduced to making the case for himself, with the reasons to stick by him slipping away week by week.

“There are not many teams still playing in four different competitions at this stage in the season,” he pointed out in his programme notes.

At the start of the night, the under-fire Italian was quite within his rights to point that out.

But four became three on another occasion to forget for Sarri (left) against Manchester opposition.

It is unthinkable three will become two by losing to Malmo in the Europa League on Thursday. Surely.

But that could well be their fate by Sunday as the Carabao Cup final against Manchester City looms large.

Ominously too with City’s 6-0 battering of the Blues fresh in the memory. Then comes a vital date with Tottenham at Stamford Bridge in Chelsea’s top-four pursuit.

If that doesn’t go to plan, what will Sarri be able to offer then?

Not enough it seems. His recordbreaking start is a distant memory. The natives are now restless.

Changing things is not one of Sarri’s strong points – one of the reasons he is already feeling the heat. The cries of “you don’t know what you’re doing” that greeted his predictable switch of Mateo Kovacic for Ross Barkley said it all.

Success in games like this can buy a manager in Sarri’s increasingly desperate position breathing space.

He looked like he knew it too, judging by the way he patrolled his touchline, kicking every ball, pleading, often in vain, for every decision. But all his side produced was more poor defending and plenty of possession with no cutting edge leading to chants of “f*** Sarri-ball” and “sacked in the morning” – from his own disgruntled fans.

At the start of the evening, Sarri was beaming as he exchanged pleasantries with Ole Gunnar Solskjaer. But history tells us how this ends at Chelsea. And he might not be smiling for too much longer.